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Painting Of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Setting Wins Honors For Arizona Man

This watercolor by Robert Dalegowski was the "people's choice" award winner at Glen Canyon NRA. NPS photo.

An Arizona man whose painting captured the setting along the Colorado River in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area above Lees Ferry has donated the painting to the NRA's permanent collection.

Above Lees Ferry was painted by Flagstaff artist Robert Dalegowski while he served as Glen Canyon's artist-in-residence at Lees Ferry this past April. The watercolor was voted the "People's Choice" winner during voting on the NRA's website and Facebook pages, as well as at a public exhibition.

The Plein Air watercolor painting was one of 12 on exhibit at the Navajo Bridge Interpretive Center from August through October.

To honor the significant role Lees Ferry played in Arizona’s history, Mr. Dalegowski worked to capture the human experience woven into the Lees Ferry landscape while remaining true to the Plein Air tradition of artistic interpretation of moment and place.

The Old Arizona Road, and Lee's Ferry; Gateway to Arizona, are names that express the significant role Lees Ferry played in Arizona's history. They tell of the bustle of activity as hundreds of Mormon pioneer families left their Utah homes, and passed through here to settle the Arizona Territory, one of the last wild frontiers in America.

Today, modern roads, scenic viewpoints, and visitor amenities speak to the superlative scenery, and natural and cultural history that draws hundreds of thousands of people to this place every year. The scenes represented in this exhibit were captured in the plein air tradition of artistic interpretation of moment and place.